We are an improving department. Everyone can learn maths given the right amount of time, support and effort. Our new five year scheme of work, starting with year 7 and building on the skills learned in primary school, allows pupils to spend more time on less topics earlier in their journey to better master the content. This ensures that students are taught the objectives outlined in the National Curriculum in year 7 to 9. Students are taught for four 1 hour lessons per week in all year groups. Students are shared into 2 populations, with 4 to 5 groups, set by attainment in each population.
We are aiming to develop students’ mathematical fluency reasoning and problem solving with facts, concepts and procedures as well as support them to use mathematical vocabulary. This will enable them to make links between ideas within maths and across subjects.
We know that spaced practice is important so every lesson begins with an “entry task” on prior learning to support memory recall and each unit is punctuated with 2 weekly home learning practise tasks via our online platforms. We are proud to have recently been part of a best practice case study for secondary schools with Timestable Rockstars and were part as well as being a Hegarty maths “Super School” for our use of the platforms in the last academic year.
Our aim is to support students by modelling and explaining, at times using special equipment, the mathematics they need to learn. We challenge them through our chosen tasks and “challenge questions” to make students think hard over time as well as develop reasoning and problem solving. We want to develop confident and resilient mathematicians.
Through our motto “Maths Opens Doors” we promote and deliver a variety of information on futures, enrichment and educational pathways that a qualification in maths can lead to, including the realistic option of University. We also aim to educate the children of Blackpool to become financially aware and inform them about important concepts such as debt, credit, tax, safety and wellbeing. Through our new guided reading programme, students in year 7 and 8 are beginning to learn about the history of maths and other interesting articles, including famous mathematicians.
More information can be found at www.montgomerymaths.co.uk/maths-opens-doors.